How to Loosen the Grip of Ego-Grasping with Ven. Robina Courtin (12/13/2023)

Lama Tsongkhapa writes lyrically about Lord Buddha's teachings on dependent arising – the "king of logic" to prove emptiness. With this perfect view, Je Rinpoche says, we can never "fall into the abyss of the great mistake" of nihilism, one of the commonest misconceptions about emptiness.

Over the course of two evenings, we will investigate how in his gradual path literature, he skillfully leads us to the eradication of ego-grasping: the primordial assumption of a fear-driven, bereft, separate self, which simply doesn’t exist.

The first talk will be about the law of karma, and how, because it's an example of the first level of dependent arising – cause and effect – it helps us to begin to loosen the grip of the concrete self. This gradually counteracts our pervasive feelings of hopelessness and self-pity, causing us to realize that we are the source of our own happiness and suffering.

In the second session we will be learning about the delusions. We will get to the root of the problem by becoming our own therapists: delving deep into our mind and identifying our delusions – attachment, aversion, jealousy and the rest – and recognizing that they are fabrications rooted in ego-grasping. Combining our practice with bodhicitta, we are equipped to explore the subtler levels of dependent arising, how things exist in dependence on parts, and finally how the I is merely labeled.

Suitable for newcomers and long-time practitioners alike, this series guides us through the gradual path to enlightenment. By loosening the grip of ego-grasping, we open to our full potential.

Ordained since the late 1970s, Ven. Robina has worked full time since then for the FPMT. Over the years, she has served as editorial director of Wisdom Publications, editor of Mandala Magazine, executive director of Liberation Prison Project, and as a touring teacher of Buddhism. Her life and work with prisoners have been featured in the documentary films Chasing Buddha and Key to Freedom.